Wild Rügen - Tourism vs. nature conservation — DW Documentary

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: "We mediate between people and nature." [00:00:08] Speaker 2: "Vacation island and natural paradise in one: the island of Rügen." "It was sunbathing." [00:00:17] Speaker 1: "There have been five cases of dogs being bitten in recent years." "It's not always easy to strike a balance between people and nature conservation." [00:00:29] Speaker 2: "With more than 1.2 million visitors a year, Rügen is currently the most visited island in Germany. Divers come for the white sandy beaches and the natural surroundings, such as the Rügen Biosphere Reserve in the south-east, which covers more than 22,000 hectares. Six rangers are tasked with maintaining the balance between tourism and nature conservation." [00:01:16] Speaker 1: "Blooming blackthorns. Beautiful. Amazing." [00:01:20] Speaker 2: "It's spring, and Stefan Kruger is counting birds with his colleague Thomas Papke. Taking an inventory, so to speak." [00:01:32] Speaker 1: "You really have to start the survey in February, because if you wait until May, when all the birds are back, then you'd get burnout." [00:01:43] Speaker 3: "Bird watching burnout." "I've put that down, a corn bunting." [00:01:48] Speaker 2: "They're mapping songbird sightings on the Munchgud Peninsula, in the south-east of the island. Nearly 3,000 hectares of untouched nature." [00:01:59] Speaker 1: "You can hear the beautiful chorus of all the skylarks. It's clearly an ideal habitat for the birds. And now if you listen, you'll hear one, two, three pears singing. In the background, there's even a corn bunting perched somewhere in the white thorn or black thorn. [00:02:17] Speaker 4: There's one up there, too." [00:02:21] Speaker 2: Stefan Kruger is a local through-and-through. He's head ranger in the south-east Rugen Biosphere Reserve. [00:02:28] Speaker 1: "In a nutshell, I'd say we're nature lovers who've made it our career. Seriously, it's a calling for us. And at least in our case, full-time conservation work grew out of volunteer work, from hunting, from family, from everything that shaped us along the way. We see ourselves as go-betweens. We mediate between people and nature." [00:02:54] Speaker 2: "They do their best to preserve the balance of nature." [00:03:01] Speaker 3: "While the trend across Germany is that these birds are being pushed to their limits and gradually disappearing, we have a relatively stable and healthy population here. It's a highlight of the area, not just for ornatologists, but for all visitors, to be able to hear these birds singing." [00:03:22] Speaker 2: "A popular coastal hiking trail leads past Cape Nodpern in the town of Gurdon. Before bird breeding season begins, felling trees is still permitted. There's a risk that rotten branches from a 30-meter-tall European beach could fall onto the hiking trail. [00:03:44] Speaker 1: "How much do we want to keep? Cut it back to the first major branch. We'll leave it as a stub there. I'll go back up now to see if there's anything to consider regarding species protection." [00:04:02] Speaker 2: Before cutting the branches, Stefan has to make sure that no endangered species such as bats have been hibernating in the tree." [00:04:17] Speaker 1: "Yeah, it's really slipping." [00:04:22] Speaker 2: "The crane needs a stable base, so the trained forester can ascend to six meters." [00:04:32] Speaker 5: "Pretty slippery, right?" "We're going to move down a little, so it's a bit flatter for the supports. Right now it's pushing sideways down the slope, and when you extend the boom, the supports on the opposite side don't have enough pressure." [00:04:47] Speaker 2: Best to reposition the equipment, safety first. Stefan's had his eye on the old European beach for a while. "But now he has to act." [00:05:06] Speaker 1: "It's getting too dangerous down here on the hiking trail, with the white rod in that tree. At some point it's going to collapse like a house of cards. You can see there's no life left in it, apart from the pillbugs breeding down there. [00:05:21] Speaker 4: One reason for not cutting it down completely: we'll trim it back to a stump six meters high, [00:05:27] Speaker 1: so there's some deadwood left standing for other species like woodpeckers or the nuthatch. And they can pick out their nest cavities there, or, if lucky, grab a snack, because a handful of pillbugs like that can feed a few woodpeckers during the breeding season. "Now let's see if anyone lives here." [00:05:50] Speaker 2: He uses an endoscopic camera. [00:05:52] Speaker 1: "So if you take a look at the display, you can see that this hollow isn't very deep." [00:05:58] Speaker 2: "Nobody lives here." [00:06:02] Speaker 1: "Okay, let's head down, the guys are busy trampling the ground, prepping the job." [00:06:12] Speaker 2: Sometimes the 38-year-old finds bats or small rodents in old trees, which he then has to relocate. Today it went quickly, and the hiking trail is safe for the season. Stefan likes going to the south-eastern tip of the Munchgut Peninsula in his free time. He's currently conducting research here for his Bachelor in Landscape Management and Nature Conservation. [00:06:42] Speaker 1: "We have a female here. She's brown with zig-zag markings. And I'm going to try to get close to her. She's hidden there in the blackberry brambles." [00:06:52] Speaker 2: An adder, one of Germany's two native venomous snakes. They're extremely shy. [00:07:00] Speaker 1: "The females have only just emerged from their winter quarters over the past two weeks, almost a month and a half later than the males. The males are already out basking in the sun in early to mid-February, depending on the way. And it's not cold, of course." [00:07:19] Speaker 2: Adders only attack when they feel threatened. Their bite is not life-threatening for healthy adults. [00:07:26] Speaker 1: "In recent years, specifically last year as far as I know, there were five cases of dogs being bitten. All instances occurred in the upper part of the area, and the dogs required veterinary treatment. But neither the snake nor the dog is to blame for this. Here too, we humans play a key role." [00:07:48] Speaker 2: Which is why all dogs must be kept on a leash in the reserve. Stefan talks with tourists, wanting to explain the situation and alleviate their fears. [00:07:57] Speaker 3: "You from around here or a tourist?" "I'm a tourist, but practically an islander, considering how often I come here." [00:08:04] Speaker 1: "Right now we're in a location where there are adders, sometimes just 20 centimeters off the path. That's the problem with dogs off-leash. Neither of them wants to cause trouble, neither the dog nor the snake wants a problem." "We're invading their habitat, right? It's great that you see it that way." [00:08:29] Speaker 2: Live and let live. Stefan's aim is to diffuse the conflict between visitors and snakes. In the Baltic Sea resort of Goeren, Stefan and two colleagues have an appointment with the local association for water management. It's about this pond. [00:08:48] Speaker 5: "This is a purely technical facility here. It's not a natural pond. Back then it was the first wastewater treatment plant for the Baltic Sea resort of Goeren." [00:09:00] Speaker 2: "Wastewater hasn't been treated here for a long time. The pond lies quiet and secluded. Last year, a rare black-headed gull nested here. The rangers want to provide nesting assistance." [00:09:13] Speaker 1: "Someone's gonna fall. Let me grab my phone." "Should we take down the buckets first?" "I'd say you take the buckets down, Frank." [00:09:25] Speaker 2: Stefan's colleagues have built a pontoon, a raft where the common tern can nest. "It's supposed to go out on the pond today." [00:09:33] Speaker 4: "Very, very slowly." [00:09:37] Speaker 2: "It weighs a good 80 kilos." [00:09:41] Speaker 6: "Move it back slowly, careful." [00:09:44] Speaker 2: "They built another raft last year, which went well. This one is bigger and heavier." "But the raft can't go out on the pond just yet." [00:09:58] Speaker 6: "Put it into the corner, on the inside." [00:10:03] Speaker 1: "Two reasons for this. First, we want to stop raccoons or otters from getting up here to grab the chicks." [00:10:11] Speaker 2: "Common terns are finding ever fewer undisturbed places to nest." [00:10:17] Speaker 6: "Staple at the corners." [00:10:20] Speaker 2: "The stones act as anchors. Time to launch the sizable vessel into the pond." [00:10:25] Speaker 6: "Not so jumpy." [00:10:28] Speaker 4: "Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh." [00:10:32] Speaker 6: "Now it's getting tricky. Gotta get under it." [00:10:35] Speaker 4: "So, after." [00:10:38] Speaker 6: "Let go." [00:10:39] Speaker 1: "Full commitment. You'll get a medal. You're an activist." "I already think the project is a success." "As you can see, we've just opened the bathing season for tourists." "Or at least Danny has." "And to make Danny feel right at home, we're creating a little beach oasis just for him." "No, we're actually creating a natural habitat for the common tern, so that from above it really looks like a little island." "They usually nest on smaller islands, sandbars or shoals." "I'd lay an egg right here." [00:11:23] Speaker 2: "With the sand and stones, the raft now weighs a good 300 kilos." "Oh, that's going to sink on us with the stones still in there." [00:11:32] Speaker 1: "The anchor stones add about another 60 kilos." "It'll be fine." [00:11:41] Speaker 2: "It looks a bit wonky, but seems to be sea worthy." "Everything's ready for the common tern's arrival." "It's the weekend, and Stefan's had a call from the village of Klein-Zicke in the south." "Anna Fiegerd runs a snack bar right on the beach." "Things are quiet, but Anna's already had a visitor." [00:12:07] Speaker 4: "Hi, Anna." [00:12:13] Speaker 7: "Hi there." [00:12:15] Speaker 1: "Hard at work already?" [00:12:17] Speaker 7: "Of course. Hi there." [00:12:19] Speaker 1: "What's going on?" [00:12:21] Speaker 7: "In the garden. It was sunbathing there when the dog came. There was a lot of barking. Luckily the dog didn't come any closer, and then it sort of slithered its way to freedom." "There was an Adder here." [00:12:37] Speaker 1: "For this to happen here." [00:12:39] Speaker 7: "First time. Old folks say there hasn't been a snake here in years. I've been walking my dog here for a few years, and I've never seen a snake. And then all this barking. I thought, what's wrong with her?" [00:12:50] Speaker 1: "This happening here is really something. But you probably don't need to worry about it for the rest of the year." "There must have been a winter den somewhere around here. And the snake, probably a male, just started its migration here." [00:13:09] Speaker 7: "We've got everything here. We've got seals, grey herons. We're in a biosphere reserve after all. You've got all kinds of animals, some weird bugs where you tell your dog to stay away. You have to be prepared for all that." [00:13:24] Speaker 2: So, nothing to worry about. Still, Stefan wants to put up a sign. "People can read it when they get rid of their trash." Stefan's poster asks everyone, local or visitor, to report any Adder sightings. [00:13:42] Speaker 1: "Look at that." [00:13:47] Speaker 7: "Wonderful." [00:13:48] Speaker 1: "On behalf of the Adder, thank you." [00:13:50] Speaker 2: "No problem at all." So, thumbs up for the holiday season. For Stefan Kruger, nature conservation starts at a young age. That's why he and his colleagues train junior rangers in the elementary schools on Rügen. Anyone who's interested can keep it up in their free time. Like these youngsters. Today, Stefan plans to build a reptile enclosure with the volunteer rangers. Right here. [00:14:20] Speaker 1: A hole. This deep. 72 and a half centimeters. If it's 69, that's okay too. I don't want to see any shovels and eyeballs or any of your fingers lying about on the ground here. So be careful. Get into a circle and you can pile the earth up here." [00:14:40] Speaker 2: They meet once a month. Here in Blisho, they've already planted a meadow orchard. Now they're planning to add small habitats for snakes and lizards. [00:14:51] Speaker 1: "We need to get down into the frost-free layer, so that no frost gets in. Because when the animals, especially the reptiles, go into hibernation later, they need that depth just to stay alive, so they don't freeze to death." [00:15:06] Speaker 2: They're an enthusiastic bunch and arrive at 9am to choose their own tasks. [00:15:13] Speaker 6: "I have friends here, or people I can have nice conversations with. And I get to be out in nature, which I really love." [00:15:22] Speaker 1: "I'll come with you, but then I won't have to shovel." [00:15:26] Speaker 2: They're making a nature trail with trees, bushes and a wild meadow. A few fruit trees have died. The area is too dry. [00:15:35] Speaker 1: Put those in the car. [00:15:37] Speaker 2: "Setbacks are part of the experience." [00:15:40] Speaker 1: "Still useful." [00:15:45] Speaker 7: "I think it's fun to work with other people on a team. And we're always out in nature. [00:15:52] Speaker 1: It's just nice to be outside. I'm almost never outside." "That's all we need." "It's a bit round." "Oh Henrik, the lizard doesn't care if it's round." "But I care." "Start putting in fist-sized stones from back here." "Yeah, fist-sized ones. And now let's grab bigger and bigger rocks and place wood in between. So the animals have different cavities in there." [00:16:25] Speaker 4: "Lizards are that big. [00:16:32] Speaker 1: Grass snakes are bigger. They need to be in the frost-free zone. You can stop putting in sand now. Or not." "These days in this hectic society, there's often simply a lack of time. Parents have so much on their plates. And it's important that kids just have fun and see themselves as part of a team. And at the same time, often without realizing it, they learn something. They can let off steam, choose their tasks themselves, get to know themselves, but most importantly, get to know others. And if we can help them with learning something for themselves and for the environment, then we've done something right." [00:17:20] Speaker 3: "Looks top-notch. There's gourmet food, beautiful shrubs and everything. I'd move in here." "And insects." [00:17:30] Speaker 2: At the next meeting, they plan to mow the grounds again thoroughly. Stefan still needs a few pictures of adders for his studies. He's already seen two males and one female. But their habitat is shrinking here as well. [00:17:45] Speaker 1: "Here you can see the well-trodden paths made by people on their way to relieve themselves. People don't realize the harm they're doing. Not only to nature, but here specifically, to the adders. Because every disturbance means a loss of energy. That's true for all animals. Every quick escape maneuver requires a great deal of energy. And especially now in the spring, every animal needs that energy. Especially those just emerging from hibernation." [00:18:16] Speaker 2: Dwindling food supplies and habitats have placed the common European adder on the red list of endangered species, here in Germany as well. Stefan wants to help secure a suitable habitat to give the adders a new lease on life. [00:18:31] Speaker 1: "Ahead, lying at the corner." [00:18:37] Speaker 2: "A brown female with zig-zag markings. We have to be very quiet and not move." [00:18:43] Speaker 1: "The male's here too." [00:18:47] Speaker 2: "It's mating season for the common adders. The light-colored male is courting the female." [00:18:52] Speaker 1: "It's exciting for me too. The first time to witness a courtship and later maybe a mating. You don't get to see that very often because they usually retreat into the vegetation. Really exciting." "And now I'd say let's back off slowly so we don't disturb them. This was good." [00:19:30] Speaker 2: "With so many visiting every year and accommodations being built, nature and wildlife are feeling the squeeze. Stefan shows aspiring ranger Jan Niklas another conservation project. [00:19:48] Speaker 1: Jan, welcome to the back garden." [00:19:51] Speaker 2: "Creating habitats works even in the smallest spaces." [00:19:55] Speaker 1: "Here we're creating a reptile habitat. It needs to be mowed every now and then. We do this all over the region." [00:20:06] Speaker 2: "Projects rewarded with success." [00:20:12] Speaker 1: "You can already hear the social calls. Can you hear the chirping? This is now a nesting site for over 200 animals." "What kind of bats are they?" "Mostly pipistrels. A natterer's bat was spotted a few years ago." [00:20:31] Speaker 2: The rangers have installed a board under the bungalow roof. Bats now live underneath it. [00:20:38] Speaker 1: "Let's take a look. You can unpack that." [00:20:42] Speaker 2: It's time to use Stefan's camera again to check how many animals are raising their young here. The rangers have installed a trellis for the bats to help them get a better grip on the bungalow walls. [00:21:01] Speaker 3: "Yeah, you can see four of them. Oh, there are some more." [00:21:06] Speaker 1: "Are they young in there? Yes. That's why there's such a commotion." [00:21:16] Speaker 2: Their numbers are dwindling too, due to lack of protection. [00:21:19] Speaker 3: "It's so interesting to see live bats and seeing them in the nursery is extra special. Because you don't usually get to witness that." "It's a full house again." [00:21:31] Speaker 2: It seems an old East German bungalow can be a suitable habitat. As can a homemade nesting raft. Stefan and his colleague Dirk want to check out what's been happening on the raft in the last four weeks. [00:21:44] Speaker 1: "Last year we had immediate breeding success with our makeshift breeding raft. And now we want to go over and check up on things and see what's working and what isn't." [00:22:03] Speaker 2: To get there, they have to wade through the former sewage treatment pond. They've heard that, in some places, it can be up to 1.8 meters deep. [00:22:17] Speaker 1: "Don't be afraid. Come on, Dirk." [00:22:21] Speaker 2: Dirk isn't happy. [00:22:23] Speaker 1: "Soft, you might say. Very muddy. Dirk, take it easy. [00:22:32] Speaker 6: Hold on to the boat." "It keeps getting deeper." [00:22:46] Speaker 1: "Come over here." [00:22:48] Speaker 2: All for the sake of the common turn. But what they find is sobering. Nothing's happening on the raft. [00:22:57] Speaker 6: "Yeah, a few more rocks, a bit more structure. The other one had no vegetation, but I don't think that was the game-changer. These are definitely droppings." "Yes, right." "From raccoons, maybe." [00:23:12] Speaker 1: "There's a pile here. Cherry pits. Must be a raccoon." [00:23:20] Speaker 2: To find out who scared the birds away, they're setting up a wildlife camera. [00:23:29] Speaker 6: "Okay, the mount is in place. The camera is on and in focus." "And action." [00:23:36] Speaker 1: "A raccoon can eat in the water, by the water. It can climb too. It's curious, and if it sees something, it'll happily swim over. If there was a clutch of eggs here, that would have been the end of it." [00:23:52] Speaker 2: "For the next breeding season, they want to try a taller and sturdier fence." "The Granitz, a forest area spanning nearly 1,000 hectares, has been part of the South East Rugen Biosphere Reserve since 1991. It's a conservation area." [00:24:20] Speaker 1: "Yeah, the e-bikes are definitely an issue, as you can see here. We have three big 'no bicycle' signs up front, but of course people think that if there's a sign there, there must be something to see. And go check it out on their bikes." [00:24:34] Speaker 4: "Hello there." "Can we go up there?" [00:24:37] Speaker 1: "Yes, you can." "There's a reason for those signs. You notice these sandy patches, and bam, you fall flat on your face." [00:24:47] Speaker 2: "Instead of finding them, Stefan prefers to have a conversation." [00:24:52] Speaker 1: "Did the little one have breakfast? Good. Otherwise I might be looking around for a meal." "Yeah, it would be great if you put the dog on a leash." "Yes, come over here and we'll become friends." [00:25:11] Speaker 2: Here too, the ranger could issue a 35 euro fine. [00:25:15] Speaker 1: "Right now we still have many young animals who aren't able to flee properly. So a dog of course is fully capable of catching one or creating an unpleasant situation." [00:25:29] Speaker 2: The pooch is now on the leash. The ranger's job is often about informing people and promoting the protection of nature. [00:25:38] Speaker 1: "Striking the balance between nature conservation and people isn't easy, be that e-bikers or dog owners. There's a lack of understanding. But sometimes the same people show up for a tour with me the next day. Then I'll ask, why are you doing this tour? They'll answer, because there's such great nature here. And then I can say, exactly. But the same nature needs protection if we want it to survive." [00:26:06] Speaker 2: The vacation island of Rugen is Stefan's home. Being a ranger who helps protect it, he says, [00:26:12] Speaker 1: is a calling. "When I get to enjoy moments like this all by myself, it's just priceless. I've never had the travel bug. Rugen is truly enough for me."